Month: July 2021

Confess to Me – Sharon Doering

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Synopsis: Heather and her family (husband Trevor, daughter Emily, and stepson Sawyer) move back to Hunther, Wisconsin to be closer to Trevor’s ill mother. Both Trevor and Heather grew up in this small town and yet Heather has spent twenty years trying to escape it. Being in this town brings up a lot of bad memories for Heather and causes her to look more closely at things that happened in the past.

Small towns have secrets and Heather is determined to uncover Hunther’s. But with threats, lies and unreliable memories, it would be easier for Heather to leave the past behind her. Except everyone seems to know more about Heather and her family that she does. And with accusations flying around, Heather has to find out the truth about her upbringing and the death that surrounded her family.  

It’s not often that I struggle to get through a book, but unfortunately that was the case with this one. I didn’t think the mystery was very compelling and struggled to get excited as I was reading. I don’t know if that’s because of the family aspect which I cannot relate to, the fact that I didn’t have very strong feelings about any of the characters, or because of some overly graphic descriptions which brought me out of the story.

However, I did feel that the author did an excellent job portraying the claustrophobic nature of small-town communities. Everyone is involved in other people’s business with the characters being the perfect balance of nosy yet secretive.

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The Beresford – Will Carver

~ Eden Haslam ~ 1 Comment

Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building. Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate Smythe no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door. Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review: This is a very weird book, unlike anything I have read before. It completely subverts expectations and looks at human nature in a really twisted way.

I did at times find it confusing. A lot happens in a short space of time and things at The Beresford change so quickly that you don’t really get the chance to know the different characters. But this allows them instead to become symbolic.  The short chapters help maintain a fast pace which, along with the continuous changes, makes this an exciting read.

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The Family Tree – Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Synopsis: After taking a DNA test, Liz learns two things: 1) she’s adopted, 2) there is someone in her family that is connected to a serial killer investigation. Despite warnings from the FBI, Liz is determined to meet her blood relatives. But can she stop her own personal feelings from clouding her judgement when there’s a killer on the loose?

Alongside Liz’s narrative, the story follows what happens to the women who are abducted by the Tri-State Killer. Bringing together past and present as Liz’s desire for a family risks placing her in the path of a murderer.

Review: I loved the premise of this story. With the growing use of technology it is so interesting to consider the pitfalls of sharing your DNA online, and how this technology can be used to help solve crimes. I especially enjoyed the chapters focusing on the kidnapped girls. It was interesting getting their perspective and learning more about the Tri-State Killer from that angle. With a lot of similarities, these chapters could have been too repetitive, but I found that they each helped uncover a little more about the situation and created a sense of solidarity between the different women.

However, my biggest issue with this book was its unrealistic nature. I doubt the FBI would share case details, especially when the person was blatantly lying to them. Liz was also quite irritating and immature. Although the motivations for her actions were made clear, I struggled to understand why she did what she did. Her determination to meet with her ‘new’ family seemed reckless considering the link to the serial killer which she didn’t seem to really care about. I struggle to believe that that is how anyone in that situation would actually act.

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